Lace-tipping machine.



E. F. TOMKINS.

LACE TIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man MAR. 25. 1918.

1,276,834. Patented Aug. 27; 1918.

Fig.1.

Edwm F. Town luv on EDWIN r. TOMKINS, or COATIGOOK, QUEBEC, CANADA.

Specification of letters Patent.

LACE-TIPPING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Original application filed June 14, 1917, Serial N0.*174,8Cl8. Divided and this application filed March 25, 1918. Serial no. 224,693.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN F. TOMKINS, of the city of Coaticook, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, superintendent, have; invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lace-Tipping Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

duplex blank of peculiar configuration and fed to the machine in the form of a ribbon made to present the improved duplex blanks in parallel arrangement with their ends, only, attached.

More specifically stated, my invention comprises coacting dies presenting crimping or folding matrices adapted to sever a blank from the ribbon and roll it around thelength of lacing material and crimp it in place in such a manner that there will be formed a pair of tapered tips temporarily united at their apices. The ribbon of blanks of peculiar configuration, essential to the operation of the machine, has a longitudinal series of diamond-shaped openings, arranged transversely to the length of the ribbon and with their opposite points a short distance from the margin of the ribbon.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to" the ac-' companying drawings in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts and wherein;

Figure 1 is a fragmentarysectional view taken on line 11 Fig, 2; p

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a tipping machine having my improved attachment incorporated therein;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the dies in separate position;

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 illustrating the dies in crimping position, the section being taken on line tl Fig. 6;

Fig.- 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional v I view drawn to a larger scale illustrating the dies separated with the movable die in the act of severing a blank. 7

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 66 Fig. 4 and drawn to a larger scale; Fig. 7 is a plan View of the ribbon of blanks; Fig. 8 is an elevation of a pair of tapered tips as they leave the dies; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the feed rolls.

The function performed by the machine of which my improved attachment is a part is to engage a blank having angular sides presenting in plan substantially a pair of frustums of cones, and to roll it in a direc tion at right angles to the axis around a length of lacing material (shoe laces, for instance), with the result that a pair of tips of conical form are produced with their apices or tips united.

The machine to which my improved dies are attached as acomponent part in the performance of its function comprises essentially a frame 2 presenting a slideway 3. Slidably carried in the slideway is a prism like carrier 4 held against vertical displacement by a cover plate 5 and adapted to be reciprocated by a cam 6 mounted upon a countershaft 7 opposite one end of the carrier. In order to adjust the extent of reciprocation of the carrier for the different sizes of tips the operative connection 'between the latter and the cam 6 is effected by an angular bracket 8 adjustably mounted upon the vcarrier and in bearing relation with thecam.

On the opposite end of the carrier at the lower corner thereof is mounted the movable die 10 of the pair of coacting dies hereinbefore referred to. This die is of substan tially rectangular plate form and its underside surfaceat the forward end thereof is cut away to present a concave matrix '12 having a middle angular projection 13 extending' toward the other die of the pair indicated at 14 and end portions 15 andlli located in the same transverse plane and extending parallel to the axial plane of the lacing material. The lower edge 17 of the matrix' is a cutting edge and is adapted to cut off each blank as the die advances toward the other die. As the overhanging portion 18 of the die is in advance of the cutting edge it is obvious that it will engage and partially bend the blank before it is cut.

The other die 14 of the pair is carried in an extension 20 of the machine frame in a seat 21. This die is constructed in 'two nieces namel 1 a carrier late 22 and die 7 proper 25. The top surface 23 of the carrier plate is adapted to be in bearing relation with the underside of the movable die 10 when the latter is in crimping position. The side of the carrier plate farthest from the movable die is cut away to present a seat 24; adapted to receive'the die proper 25 having a beveled portion 26 engaging a correspondinglv beveled portion in the carrier plate. The die proper extends above the horizontal plane of the topsurface of the latter to present a matrix 27 corresponding to the matrix 12 of the movable die and having a middle angular projection 28 extending toward the middle angular portion of theother dieand end portions 29 and 30 extending parallel to the lacing material.

The ribbon 31 of blanks is intermittently fed to the dies by a pair of rolls 33 and it passes upwardly between the dies through an opening, the carrier plate 22 of the fixed die being beveled to afford passage for any projection in the ribbon.

This ribbon is of thin sheet-metal and is of a width equal to the length of two tips. It is provided with a series of diamondshaped openings35 extending transversely to the length of the ribbon and with their opposite points a short distance from the margin of the ribbon leaving side portions 36 uniting the blanks at their ends.

One of the feed rolls is provided with a circumferential series of pins 50 at each end which are arranged to register with sockets 51 in the other roll. The effect of this registration is to perforate the marginal portions 36 of the ribbon as at 53 which not only causes a positive upward feed of the ribbon but the points struck up cause the tips to firmly adhere toth-e lacing when finished.

This particular construction of ribbon enables it to be automatically fed and cut off in the machine and eliminates the surplus metal in the forming of the tapered tips.

Operation.

I11 the operation of a machine equipped with dies constructed according to my invention a predetermined length of ribbon is fed between the dies. The carrier 4 actuated by the cam 6 then commences to advance toward the fixed die carrying with it the movable die 10 the forward overhanging portion of which engages the blank and bends the free end thereof toward the matrix of the fixed die until the cutting edge of the movable die comes into contact with the ribbon. At this stage the blank is cut off and moved on toward the other matrix 27, the side edges of the blank being gradually folded or crimped around the lacing material until finally the matrices come into contact and the blank is tightly crimped around the lacing material in the form of a pair of tapered tips with their ends united. As the carrier recedes the lacing material is fed a predetermined length by means not illustrated, ready for the next operation.

hat I claim is as follows:

In a machine for rolling a blank around a length of lacing material in the form of a pair of tips of conical form with their apices united, the combination with a machine frame having a slideway, of a prismlike carrier carried slidably in the slideway, means for reciprocating the carrier; a movable die of substantially rectangular plate form with its'forward under surface cut away to present a concave matrix with a middle angular projection; the lower edge of the matrix being in the form of a cutting edge and located to the rear of the main portion of the matrix which overhangs the same; a second die consisting of a carrier plate and die proper, the plate having a seat receiving the die proper, engaging beveled portions upon the said die proper and carrier plate respectively, the said die proper having a matrix corresponding to the matrix of the movable die and the said matrix of the die proper having a middle angular projection in alinement with the first-mentioned angular projection; a pair of feed rolls one of which has a circumferential series of pins at each end, and the other roll having sockets arranged to have the said pins register therewith.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN F. TOMKINS. lVitnesses GORDON G. COOKIE, WILLIAM J. O. HEWETSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, T-Jasl.izxgton, D. C. 

